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Tartarus
Tartarus is an otherworldly prison where the most sinister and dangerous criminals are held captive. The prison exists outside the physical realm. Some say it exists between our world and the dark realm, but the nature of which has never been understood. What little is known about Tartarus, its wardens or guardians, is gathered from a) the few times their emissaries (the Furies) confronted Celestine leadership in person, and b) from Starswhirl, who was the only non-prisoner known to have passed through the gates of Tartarus. The Gates of Tartarus It is unclear whether there is a single entrance or separate ones into Tartarus. They appear and disappear at random, often in secluded areas, without warning. To the privileged (or cursed) few who have seen it, they materialize in the form of a gate surrounded by an out-of-place marsh, as if cut out from the local landscape and shrouded in mist. There are some clashing reports that claim the gates have appeared in more than one place at the same time, but that its protector, Cerberus, was standing guard at both. Starswhirl theorized the gate was a replicated compartment of space existing in multiple places at once. The Furies The Furies are a trio of shapeshifters (Starswhirl noted that they were not to be mistaken with Changlings) often presenting themselves in the forms of the race they meet. They are described as laconic, to the point and pale. Their visits are said to bring great misfortune, having preluded many wars. It is unclear whether the Furies are figures of leadership in Tartarus or are simply messengers, but Starswhirl's writings claim that they are bound to some sort of ancient agreement to cooperate with the mortals. The Fury's Bane & Judgment The Fury's Bane (aka: the Bane, or Rivermane) are the only beings capable of damning someone to Tartarus. They are mortals (of any race) who were blessed (or cursed) by the Furies themselves with the ability to invoke "Judgment", which draws the Furies' dark power from the earth to swallow the damned individual in a flurry of shadows, pulling them into the ground and, presumably, to Tartarus. It is known that the "arms of fury" cannot touch the innocent, and if without target, will grab the nearest mortal (culpable of any crime, relevant to the judgment or not, even the Bane him/herself). It is likely that they were given this power to ensure a supply of prisoners and to minimize the Furies' interaction with the mortal races. Starswhirl's Travels Starswhirl, known to be the only non-prisoner to have passed through the gates of Tartarus, documented his brief journey. It was never made clear why he went there or why the Furies allowed him to do so. His journey begins with one of the Furies, who called himself Charon, recommending that he bring with him a child, as well as ensure that none of his followers are blind or deaf. Charon never specified why. Across the Acheron Starswhirl was told of five paths in (and presumably, out) of Tartarus, which he learned were: Acheron, Styx, Phlegethon, Cocytus and Lethe. However, he learnt that the gates lead only into Acheron and that the other passages were lost eons ago. His journey through Acheron, he noted, was made very difficult as his party underwent a transformation, suffering deep depression, and resisting the urge to keel over and die. However, he observed that the child was entirely unaffected, and in fact, the closer they were to him, the less affected they were. He later theorized that it was the child's innocence, or lack of regrets that not only protected the child, but those around him. The Nine Planes Beyond what Starswhirl described as a "non-descript doorway", was an endless expanse of darkness that materialized into halls as he approached. Through them, he found many prisoners wandering, unable to see one another (or him), all tormented with hallucinations that even Starswhirl himself could sometimes see out of the corner of his eyes. "Tartarus would pilfer from the recesses of our minds, take from it our fears and collect them at the edges of our sight. It would tantalize with loves lost, surround all with the basis of our darkest terrors, and even the slightest regret would beget a fiery horror that would choke you if you were so foalish as to forget your wits. It was a waking nightmare; reminding us, whispering to us: 'you are not welcome.'" --Starswhirl At this point, fearing for his company, he proceeds alone, down a staircase that materializes at his beck and call. Charon told him it would take him down through the "nine planes of Tartarus". During his descent he noted that, as he went further, the prisoners' dementia was worse, and that the invisible force that weighed down on his own sanity became heavier. Before long, it was more than he could bear, so he turned back before reaching the fourth plane. His writings end shortly after, with him and his party promptly leaving Tartarus, without any apparent goal fulfilled, but most readers speculate he simply didn't tell the full story. The Eldritch Wardens Throughout, Starswhirl made note of creatures that wandered and tormented the Tartarus void, describing them as "eldritch demons" - residing at the "edge of sight." He noticed that the more he tried to observe them, the more they became aware of him, and as to not tempt fate he didn't pursue it any further. Little else is mentioned about them. Lore * The prison is mentioned in many texts across all of written history. It is suspected to have existed for many hundreds of thousands years before that. * Not once, in any scripture known is a possible creator or origin of Tartarus even speculated or hinted at. * Some legends tell of entire empires that sank into the ground overnight when their leadership attempted to bend the Furies to their will. Trivia * The Furies' and their rare visits, often several centuries apart, are said to be a terrible omen. * With the Bane and their ability to cast Judgment, there hasn't ever been any reason for mortals to seek out the gates. * The stigma of being one of the Bane has driven most of them to hide their identities. The Captain of the Penitent is the only publicly known Bane, and is one of the Deck. Category:Lore